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Texas Rangers: Why are Choo so upset?

June 11, 2015

Rangers outfielder Choo Shin-soo and manager Jeff Banister have gotten along in the past. What's bugging him now? (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)

Rangers outfielder Choo Shin-soo and manager Jeff Banister have gotten along in the past. What’s got the South Korean all riled up? (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)

By Brian Han

After the Texas Rangers suffered a tough 5-4 road loss to the Oakland Athletics Wednesday night, the team’s outfielder Choo Shin-soo took issue with the way manager Jeff Banister seemed to single him out.

The Rangers failed to protect a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning due to some poor defensive judgments, and judging by Choo’s reactions, Banister may have suggested that his throw may have started the entire slide.

“We’re not playing (this game) for the first time,” Choo said after the game according to The Dallas Morning News. “[Banister] told me, ‘What do you think about this situation?’ I know the situation… We lost the game because of me? [Expletive] that.”

With Josh Reddick on first, Ben Zobrist hit a single to Choo who threw the ball over the head of his cutoff man to rookie third baseman Joey Gallo.

Gallo then committed a throwing error by tossing a ball back into right field allowing Reddick to score and Zobrist to advance. Zobrist eventually scored the tying run after Billy Butler drove him in after another single.

Once the inning was over, Banister basically asked what his intention was — was he trying to throw the runner out, or did he try to hit the cutoff man like he was supposed to but simply missed?

However, the South Korean noted four times to the press that he was “not comfortable” with the way Banister approached him and never did clarify what his intention was.

A Korean reporter asked if it was normal for a manager to criticize a player in front of his teammates according to the Star Telegram.

Choo’s primary issue may have been that he was embarrassed by the way the discussion was handled.

After reporters kept on digging into the subject, he concluded with this statement.

“I’ll get you a glove and you play,” he said.

The outfielder did go 1-for-4 and scored a run lifting his season average to .249.